


everything we didn't say

by gracefulhearts



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: (yet), Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben is an asshole, F/M, Rivals to Lovers, Slow Burn, Unresolved Sexual Tension, acting school, there is nothing redeemable about him
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:00:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22825267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gracefulhearts/pseuds/gracefulhearts
Summary: “You know, having an Academy Award-winning relative isn’t everything. It doesn’t mean you’regood.” She hears the creak of his chair that indicates he's stood up, then sees him walk toward her.“Just because you’re here,” His voice is low, rough around the edges, and his eyes are blazing when she looks into them. “Doesn’t mean that you don’t need a teacher.”“And I suppose now is where you offer to teach me?” she asks, deciding that she doesn’t care what he thinks. Fuck him and his stupid attitude. “Joke’s on you, Benjamin Solo, because I am never,evergoing to need you.”With that she stands, brushes past him and lets the door slam on her way out.(In which acting students Rey and Ben are partnered together for a class on creating tension.)
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 16
Kudos: 41





	everything we didn't say

**Author's Note:**

> This fic features parts from La La Land, Jane Eyre (2011), Famous in Love, and Parks and Rec. Spoilers for La La Land and Jane Eyre. 
> 
> I don't own any of them (or Star Wars).

Maz Kanata is normally one of Rey’s favorite people in the world.

Except for today.

Born Margaret Kanata, she’s one of the greatest actresses of her time, having starred in over 100 films during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She was even rumored to have been best friends with Audrey Hepburn; every time someone asks if it’s the truth, she gets a twinkle in her eyes and says, _That’s for me to know and you to wonder._

She’s been a mentor to Rey throughout her three years at the Coruscant School for Drama, always sitting with her in her office that’s stacked high with unread scripts and various lesson plans. Maz has been there for her since her first day at CSD, when she walked into Acting I with wide eyes, eager to learn everything there was about her craft.

But _today_ , Rey isn’t thinking of any of that. All she can think of is the news that Maz just dropped on her Creating Tension in a Scene class, which Rey and eight other students are taking.

“This class, obviously, is how to create tension in a scene,” she’d started, standing at the front of the room with her hands clasped in front of her, “So how this is going to work is, I’m going to pair you in groups of two.”

That wasn’t even the worst part.

The worst part was what she said next, once she’d started pairing everyone together.

“Rey, you’ll be paired with Ben.”

It’s been five minutes and the words are still ringing in her mind, like a bad song she can’t unhear.

_No._

Maz has moved on to a different topic, but Rey stopped paying attention the second she registered that she’s going to be working with him.

He’s every diabolical villain come to life, the smouldering type with long hair and dark, burning eyes. He’s also fiercely intimidating, usually sitting next to Maz, taking notes with a sneer. She can only imagine the shit he writes about her and her classmates.

Rey doesn’t think she’s ever seen him come close to cracking a smile. Unless it was at another students’ expense, after they’d stammered out a line or forgotten it entirely. He would always cover it with a weak cough that wouldn’t hide anything. Judging by the look on his face, that was the point.

Every time a student has to act out a scene in front of the class, Ben is the first to point out their flaws no matter how tiny they are. Always in a belittling tone, saying things like, “There was absolutely no emotion from you; you sounded like a robot.” Once, he even told Rose Tico, her best friend, that she should “drop out of school because she couldn’t act her way out of a paper bag.”

Says the man who doesn’t have any acting credits to his name.

Ben Solo is a nobody.

Rey _fucking_ hates him, and there’s no way that she’s going to work with him all semester.

“Just so you know, these partnerships are final. I have placed you with people who I think will help you grow the most throughout the year.” She’s looking directly at Rey as she says this, like she knows that she would’ve been first in line to try and switch.

Okay then. So she _will_ be working with him all semester, something that she’s less than thrilled about.

She can see Ben look at her out of the corner of her eye, his face angled toward hers, blurry and slightly out of focus.

She keeps her eyes on Maz, who is talking about what they’re going to have to do throughout the semester.

“With your partner, you’re going to have to perfect four scenes with different types of tension: romantic, sexual, an argument, and a break-up. Since this is a Tuesday and Thursday class, on Tuesday’s, we’ll be in here, spending half the class reading and learning about the different ways that tension can be portrayed in a scene. The other half will be spent watching some of the groups perform the scenes you’ve chosen; on Thursday’s, you’ll be working with your partner on what scenes you are going to do. Now, I want you to meet with your partners and discuss what you’re going to do.”

Rey stays seated, raising her eyebrows at Ben from across the room, as if to say, _Well? Come on._

She still can’t believe that this is happening.

He sighs, rolls his eyes, and mutters something to himself before ambling over to the vacant chair next to her. It had been Rose’s but she’s been paired with Hux, who sits across the room.

“You’re Obi-Wan’s niece, aren’t you?” He doesn’t even bother with a greeting, and the way he looks at her, his nose turned down, eyebrows raised . . . He already doesn’t think highly of her and she hasn’t even said a word to him.

Her uncle was well-known in his time, even still now, years after his death. She spent every summer until he passed at his houses in Los Angeles, Rome, London, even the one in Madrid that the press could never confirm. Watching him hone his craft is how she fell in love with it.

She blinks, not knowing what to say, other than, “Yes.”

He stares at her, unimpressed. “Are you only here because of him?”

Does he honestly think that? Does everyone think that? Is that why it’s been so hard for her to make friends, because everyone thinks that she only got here because of who she’s related to?

The chatter of the surrounding students tells her that they should get to work discussing their scenes, yet the only sound ringing in her ears is _only here because of him?_

“No, actually. That’s not true at all,” she grinds out, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m here because I’m a damn good actress, and there’s a whole panel of professors that agree.”

A slow, somewhat evil smirk spreads across his lips. “Whatever you say. You’re familiar with _Jane Eyre_ , right?” He doesn’t wait for her to respond. “Of course you are, Obi-Wan was one of the greatest actors of his time and played Rochester both on-screen and across the globe. He was, after all, the prince of Hollywood.”

The rage settles in her stomach and coming with it is the desire to prove him wrong. She got into one of the greatest acting schools in the country on her own, not because of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Rey grits her teeth. She doesn’t owe him anything. “Great job, you know basic film history.”

He rolls his eyes. “I saw that movie you were in when you were, what, seven?” He snorts. “You couldn’t even cry on cue. How pathetic.”

“I was _seven_ , no seven-year-old can cry on cue!” she protests, anger flashing in her eyes. “But fine, we can do _Jane Eyre_ as one of our scenes. I’m picking one of the other ones, though.”

“Be my guest.”

She ignores him, lost in her thoughts. The fact that he’s here is making it hard to think, she’s so damn annoyed by just his _presence_. “We have to do a fight scene, right? How about Mia and Sebastian’s from _La La Land_?”

“That’s fine. It’s a good scene, from what I remember. I can give you my number and we can figure out when and where on Thursday we’re going to meet.”

Rey digs her phone out of her purse and hands it to him, watches as he slowly types his name and number into her phone before passing it back. “Thanks. We can decide on what scenes to do when we meet on Thursday.”

Ben nods curtly. “We should pick scenes that are the kind that drive you crazy because you can’t tell if the characters should fight or fuck.”

“Hopefully you all have what you’re doing picked out because class is over,” Maz calls out in a clear, somewhat stern tone, interrupting Rey’s train of thought. “I’ll see you guys next Tuesday, make sure you’ve picked out all of your scenes, and get started on the fight scene. We’ll be watching some of you perform then, which is how you’ll get better as time passes.”

Ben texts Rey later that night, and the two of them agree to meet at one of the acting practice studios on Thursday. There are different sized studios, depending on how many people you need to fit in them, and when she gets there on Thursday, she notices that he’s in one of the two person rooms.

The outside of the rooms are all glass, so she can see him watching something on his laptop, although due to the rooms all being soundproof, she can’t hear what it is.

She pushes open the door just as he looks up.

“I found the script for _La La Land_ , so we can go through that and start working on the scene. Especially if we want to workshop it in front of Maz on Thursday,” he greets in a bored tone, sounding like he’d rather be anywhere else.

It’s never “hello,” or any other greeting with him, which makes him even more of an asshole.

“Okay,” she answers, annoyed, sitting down in the chair across from him and setting her bag at her feet. “I figured that we could read through it once silently and then read it aloud, work on whatever needs to be fixed.”

Ben nods, his eyes already skimming the page, so Rey takes out her laptop and does the same.

Once they’ve both read through the script five minutes later, they start reading it aloud. 

He leans forward, setting his elbows on his thighs, “ _This_ is _the dream!_ ”

Prior to this, Sebastian and Mia have been arguing, as he’s just revealed that he’s going to be on tour with his band, which isn’t something he wants but rather, something that he feels other people – Mia – expect from him. 

She wants him to be happy, to open his club, because she knows the toll that touring takes on him, something that Rey tries to channel: she’s upset with him and with what he’s been saying, but she wants what’s best for him.

Kind of like her and Ben, but minus the part where she wants what’s best for him. She just hates him more than she can express.

She scoffs. _I can’t believe him_ , she thinks, as if this situation really applies to them. “ _This is not your dream._ ”

He stares at her, swallowing a bit before he takes a deep, steadying breath. “ _Guys like me go their whole_ lives _and never do anything that’s liked. I’m finally doing something that people enjoy. What’s wrong with that?_ ”

She blinks, once, her lips parting. How does he not see what’s wrong with that? “ _Why do you care so much about being_ liked _–?_ ”

“ _You’re an actress, who are you to talk?_ ” Ben-as-Sebastian spits, and sadness crashes into her.

It starts low in her stomach, spreading out through her chest and making tears spring to her eyes. “ _Are you kidding?_ ”

Ben sets his jaw resolutely. He’s already come to terms with what he’s just said. “ _No._ ”

Before the sadness can deepen, he blinks, his facial features smoothing over into something neutral.

“How was that?” she asks quietly, still in the fighting, defensive headspace. She tries not to take her characters home with her, but it takes time for their emotions to wear off. Rey wishes she had the ability to turn her characters on and off the way that some people can. Rose, her best friend and roommate, has always been able to do that.

He leans back in his chair, deep in thought. “I think you could’ve given more emotion, honestly. Mia and Sebastian are dating, and he’s told her that he’s going to be on tour for years. Think of how she’d react to that. How you would react to that, if your significant other was going to be away for long stretches of time.”

Her gaze is trained on the floor. Suddenly, the triangular patterns of the carpet are the most interesting thing in the room.

“I was near tears,” she answers harshly after a moment, still not looking at him. “What more emotion could you possibly want?”

“You know, having an Academy Award-winning relative isn’t everything. It doesn’t mean you’re _good_.” She hears the creak of his chair that indicates he's stood up, then sees his feet walk toward her.

“Just because you’re here,” His voice is low, rough around the edges, and his eyes are blazing when she looks into them. “Doesn’t mean that you don’t need a teacher.”

“And I suppose now is where you offer to teach me?” she asks, deciding that she doesn’t care what he thinks. Fuck him and his stupid attitude. “Joke’s on you, Benjamin Solo, because I am never, _ever_ going to need you.”

With that she stands, brushes past him and lets the door slam on her way out.

**Author's Note:**

> A million thank-yous to SeventhStranger for being an awesome beta!
> 
> I'm over on twitter @gracefulhearts if you'd like to follow me.


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